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PowerEdge R940xa

Dell PowerEdge R940xa Reference guide

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Dell EMC PowerEdge R940xa
BIOS and UEFI Reference Guide
Part Number: E54S Series
Regulatory Type: E54S001
June 2021
Rev. A01
Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
© 2019- 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Chapter 1: Pre-operating system management applications...........................................................4
Options to manage the pre-operating system applications...................................................................................... 4
System Setup....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
View System Setup....................................................................................................................................................... 4
System Setup details.................................................................................................................................................... 5
System BIOS................................................................................................................................................................... 5
iDRAC Settings utility................................................................................................................................................. 25
Device Settings............................................................................................................................................................26
Dell Lifecycle Controller...................................................................................................................................................26
Embedded System Management.............................................................................................................................26
Boot Manager.....................................................................................................................................................................26
View the boot manager..............................................................................................................................................26
Boot Manager main menu......................................................................................................................................... 26
One-shot UEFI Boot menu........................................................................................................................................ 27
System Utilities............................................................................................................................................................ 27
PXE boot..............................................................................................................................................................................27
Contents
Contents 3
Pre-operating system management
applications
You can manage basic settings and features of a system without booting to the operating system by using the system firmware.
Topics:
• Options to manage the pre-operating system applications
• System Setup
• Dell Lifecycle Controller
• Boot Manager
• PXE boot
Options to manage the pre-operating system
applications
Your system has the following options to manage the pre-operating system applications:
● System Setup
● Dell Lifecycle Controller
● Boot Manager
● Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
System Setup
By using the System Setup screen, you can configure the BIOS settings, iDRAC settings,BMC settings, and Device settings of
your system.
NOTE:
Help text for the selected field is displayed in the graphical browser by default. To view the help text in the text
browser, press F1.
You can access system setup by using two methods:
● Standard graphical browser—The browser is enabled by default.
● Text browser—The browser is enabled by using Console Redirection.
View System Setup
To view the System Setup screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
1
4 Pre-operating system management applications
System Setup details
The System Setup Main Menu screen details are explained as follows:
Option Description
System BIOS Enables you to configure BIOS settings.
iDRAC Settings Enables you to configure the iDRAC settings.
The iDRAC settings utility is an interface to set up and configure the iDRAC parameters by using UEFI
(Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). You can enable or disable various iDRAC parameters by using
the iDRAC settings utility. For more information about this utility, see Integrated Dell Remote Access
Controller User’s Guide at www.dell.com/idracmanuals.
iDRAC Settings Enables you to configure BMC settings.
The iDRAC settings utility is an interface to set up and configure the BMC parameters by using
UEFI. You can enable or disable various BMC parameters by using the iDRAC settings utility. For
more information about this utility, see Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller 8 User’s Guide at
www.dell.com/idracmanuals.
Device Settings Enables you to configure device settings such as network cards or storage controllers.
System BIOS
You can use the System BIOS screen to edit specific functions such as boot order, system password, setup password, set the
SATA and PCIe NVMe RAID mode, and enable or disable USB ports.
Viewing System BIOS
To view the System Setup screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
System BIOS Settings details
About this task
The System BIOS Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
System
Information
Specifies information about the system such as the system model name, BIOS version, and Service Tag.
Memory Settings Specifies information and options related to the installed memory.
Processor
Settings
Specifies information and options related to the processor such as speed and cache size.
SATA Settings Specifies options to enable or disable the integrated SATA controller and ports.
Pre-operating system management applications 5
Option Description
NVMe Settings Specifies options to change the NVMe settings. If the system contains the NVMe drives that you
want to configure in a RAID array, you must set both this field and the Embedded SATA field on the
SATA Settings menu to RAID mode. You might also need to change the Boot Mode setting to UEFI.
Otherwise, you should set this field to Non-RAID mode.
Boot Settings Specifies options to specify the Boot mode (BIOS or UEFI). Enables you to modify UEFI and BIOS boot
settings.
Network Settings Specifies options to manage the UEFI network settings and boot protocols.
Legacy network settings are managed from the Device Settings menu.
Integrated
Devices
Specifies options to manage integrated device controllers and ports, specifies related features and
options.
Serial
Communication
Specifies options to manage the serial ports, its related features and options.
System Profile
Settings
Specifies options to change the processor power management settings, memory frequency.
System Security Specifies options to configure the system security settings, such as system password, setup password,
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security, and UEFI secure boot. It also manages the power button on the
system.
Redundant OS
Control
Sets the redundant OS info for redundant OS control.
Miscellaneous
Settings
Specifies options to change the system date and time.
System Information
You can use the System Information screen to view system properties such as Service Tag, system model name, and the BIOS
version.
View System Information
To view the System Information screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click System Information.
System Information details
About this task
The System Information screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
System Model
Name
Specifies the system model name.
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Option Description
System BIOS
Version
Specifies the BIOS version installed on the system.
System
Management
Engine Version
Specifies the current version of the Management Engine firmware.
System Service
Tag
Specifies the system Service Tag.
System
Manufacturer
Indicates the name of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
System
Manufacturer
Contact
Information
Indicates the contact information of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
System CPLD
Version
Specifies the current version of the system, complex programmable logic device (CPLD) firmware.
UEFI Compliance
Version
Specifies the UEFI compliance level of the system firmware.
Memory Settings
You can use the Memory Settings screen to view all the memory settings and enable or disable specific memory functions,
such as system memory testing and node interleaving.
View Memory Settings
To view the Memory Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click Memory Settings.
Memory Settings details
About this task
The Memory Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
System Memory
Size
Specifies the memory size in the system.
System Memory
Type
Specifies the type of memory that is installed in the system.
System Memory
Speed
Specifies the system memory speed.
Pre-operating system management applications 7
Option Description
System Memory
Voltage
Specifies the system memory voltage.
Video Memory Specifies the amount of video memory.
System Memory
Testing
Specifies whether the system memory tests are run during system boot. Options are Enabled and
Disabled. This option is set to Disabled by default.
NOTE: When Enabled the system takes more to boot. The booting time depends on the size of the
system memory.
Dram Refresh
Delay
By enabling the CPU memory controller to delay running the REFRESH commands, you can improve
the performance for some workloads. By minimizing the delay time, it is ensured that the memory
controller runs the REFRESH command at regular intervals. For lntel-based servers, this setting only
affects systems configured with DIMMs which use 8 Gb density DRAMS.
Memory
Operating Mode
Specifies the memory operating mode. The options available are Optimizer Mode, Single Rank Spare
Mode, Multi Rank Spare Mode, Mirror Mode, and Dell Fault Resilient Mode. This option is set to
Optimizer Mode by default.
NOTE: The Memory Operating Mode option can have different default and available options based
on the memory configuration of your system.
NOTE: The Fault Resilient Mode option establishes an area of memory that is fault resilient. This
mode can be used by an operating system that supports the feature to load critical applications or
enables the operating system kernel to maximize system availability.
NOTE: Only Optimizer Mode should be selected when Intel DC Optane Persistent Memory is
installed.
Current State
of Memory
Operating Mode
Specifies the current state of the memory operating mode.
Fault Resilient
Mode Memory
Size [%]
Select to define the percent of total memory size that must be used by the fault resilient mode when
selected in the Memory Operating mode. When Fault Resilient Mode is not selected, this option is
grayed out and not used by Fault Resilient Mode.
Node Interleaving Specifies if Non-Uniform Memory Architecture (NUMA) is supported. If this field is set to Enabled,
memory interleaving is supported if a symmetric memory configuration is installed. If the field is set
to Disabled, the system supports NUMA (asymmetric) memory configurations. This option is set to
Disabled by default.
ADDDC Setting Enables or disables ADDDC Setting feature. When Adaptive Double DRAM Device Correction (ADDDC)
is enabled, failing DRAMs are dynamically mapped out. When set to Enabled it can have some impact to
system performance under certain workloads. This feature is applicable for x4 DIMMs only. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Native tRFC
Timing for 16Gb
DIMMs
Enables 16 Gb density DIMMs to operate at their programmed Row Refresh Cycle Time (tRFC). Enabling
this feature may improve system performance for some configurations. However, enabling this feature will
have no effect on configurations with 16 Gb 3DS/TSV DIMMs. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Opportunistic
Self-Refresh
Enables or disables opportunistic self-refresh feature. This option is set to Disabled by default.
Correctable Error
Logging
Enables or disables logging of correctable memory threshold error. This option is set to Enabled by
default.
Persistent
Memory
This field controls Persistent Memory on the system. This option is available if the persistent memory
module is installed in the system.
8 Pre-operating system management applications
Processor Settings
You can use the Processor Settings screen to view the processor settings, and perform specific functions such as enabling
virtualization technology, hardware prefetcher, logical processor idling.
View Processor Settings
To view the Processor Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE: If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click Processor Settings.
Processor Settings details
About this task
The Processor Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
Logical Processor
Enables or disables the logical processors and displays the number of logical processors. If this option is
set to Enabled, the BIOS displays all the logical processors. If this option is set to Disabled, the BIOS
displays only one logical processor per core. This option is set to Enabled by default.
CPU
Interconnect
Speed
Enables you to govern the frequency of the communication links among the CPUs in the system.
NOTE: The standard and basic bin processors support lower link frequencies.
The options available are Maximum data rate, 10.4 GT/s, and 9.6 GT/s. This option is set to Maximum
data rate by default.
Maximum data rate indicates that the BIOS runs the communication links at the maximum frequency that
is supported by the processors. You can also select specific frequencies that the processors support,
which can vary.
For best performance, you should select Maximum data rate. Any reduction in the communication link
frequency affects the performance of nonlocal memory accesses and cache coherency traffic. In addition,
it can slow access to nonlocal I/O devices from a particular CPU.
However, if power-saving considerations outweigh performance, you might want to reduce the frequency
of the CPU communication links. If you do this, you should localize memory and I/O accesses to the
nearest NUMA node to minimize the impact to system performance.
Virtualization
Technology
Enables or disables the virtualization technology for the processor. This option is set to Enabled by
default.
Adjacent Cache
Line Prefetch
Optimizes the system for applications that need high utilization of sequential memory access. This option
is set to Enabled by default. You can disable this option for applications that need high utilization of
random memory access.
Hardware
Prefetcher
Enables or disables the hardware prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Software
Prefetcher
Enables or disables the software prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Pre-operating system management applications 9
Option Description
DCU Streamer
Prefetcher
Enables or disables the Data Cache Unit (DCU) streamer prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by
default.
DCU IP
Prefetcher
Enables or disables the Data Cache Unit (DCU) IP prefetcher. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Sub NUMA
Cluster
Sub NUMA Clustering (SNC) is a feature for breaking up the LLC into disjoint clusters based on address
range, with each cluster bound to a subset of the memory controllers in the system. It improves average
latency to the LLC. Enables or disables the Sub NUMA Cluster. This option is set to Disabled by default.
UPI Prefetch Enables you to get the memory read started early on DDR bus. The Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) Rx path
spawns the speculative memory read to Integrated Memory Controller (iMC) directly. This option is set to
Enabled by default.
LLC Prefetch Enables or disables the LLC Prefetch on all threads. This option is set to Disabled by default.
Dead Line LLC
Alloc
When enabled, it opportunistically fill dead lines in LLC. When disabled, it never fill dead lines in LLC. This
option is set to Enabled by default.
Directory AtoS AtoS optimization reduces remote read latencies for repeat read accesses without intervening writes.
This option is set to Disabled by default.
FastGo Enables you to select CR OOS Configuration Profiles.
IRQ Throttle Enables you to throttle local requests that are targeting a remote address.
Logical Processor
Idling
Enables you to improve the energy efficiency of a system. It uses the operating system core parking
algorithm and parks some of the logical processors in the system which in turn allows the corresponding
processor cores to transition into a lower power idle state. This option can only be enabled if the
operating system supports it. It is set to Disabled by default.
NOTE: This feature is not supported if CPU Power Management is set to Maximum Performance.
Configurable TDP Enables you to configure the TDP level. The available options are Nominal, Level 1 and Level 2. This
option is set to Nominal by default.
NOTE: This option is only available on certain stock keeping units (SKUs) of the processors.
x2APIC Mode Enables or disables the x2APIC mode. This option is set to Enabled by default.
L2 RFO Prefetch Enables or disables the L2 RFO (Read For Ownership) prefetch. This option is set to Enabled by default.
The RFO is the process of reading a cache line from the memory into the cache before it can be written
to.
NOTE: This feature is supported only when four processors are installed.
Dell Controlled
Turbo
Controls the turbo engagement. Enable this option only when System Profile is set to Performance.
NOTE: Depending on the number of installed CPUs, there might be up to four processor listings.
Dell AVX Scaling
Technology
Enables you to configure the Dell AVX scaling technology. This option is set to 0 by default.
AVX ICCP Pre-
Grant
Allows the system to select between different AVX ICCP transition levels offered by Intel. The default
level is 128 Heavy.
Number of Cores
per Processor
Controls the number of enabled cores in the processor. Under certain circumstances, you may see limited
performance improvements to Intel Turbo Boost Technology and benefits from potentially larger shared
caches, when you reduce the number of enabled cores. Most computing environments tend to benefit
more from larger number of processing cores, so you must carefully weigh the disabling of cores to gain
nominal performance enhancements.
Process Core
Speed
Displays the core speed of the processor(s).
Process Bus
Speed
Displays the bus speed of the processor(s).
Processor n
The following settings are displayed for each processor installed in the system:
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Option Description
Option Description
Family-Model-
Stepping
Specifies the family, model, and stepping of the processor as defined by Intel.
Brand Specifies the brand name.
Level 2 Cache Specifies the total L2 cache.
Level 3 Cache Specifies the total L3 cache.
Number of Cores Specifies the number of cores per processor.
Maximum
Memory Capacity
Specifies the maximum memory capacity per processor.
Microcode Specifies the microcode.
SATA Settings
You can use the SATA Settings screen to view the SATA settings of SATA devices and enable SATA and PCIe NVMe RAID
mode on your system.
NOTE: Dell Storage NX system does not support HDDs connected to SATA ports and does not enable SATA RAID Mode. It
supports only PERC RAID Controller.
View SATA Settings
To view the SATA Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click SATA Settings.
SATA Settings details
About this task
The SATA Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
Embedded SATA Enables the embedded SATA option to be set to Off , AHCI, or RAID modes. This option is set to AHCI
Mode by default.
Security Freeze
Lock
Sends Security Freeze Lock command to the embedded SATA drives during POST. This option is set to
Enabled by default.
Write Cache Enables or disables the command for the embedded SATA drives during POST. This option is set to
Disabled by default.
Port n Sets the drive type of the selected device.
For AHCI Mode or RAID Mode, BIOS support is always enabled.
Pre-operating system management applications 11
Option Description
Option Description
Model Specifies the drive model of the selected device.
NOTE: If no device is installed, it displays Unkown.
Drive Type Specifies the type of drive attached to the SATA port.
NOTE: If no device is installed, it displays Unkown Device.
Capacity Specifies the total capacity of the drive. This field is undefined for removable media
devices such as optical drives.
NOTE: If no device is installed, it displays N/A.
NVMe Settings
The NVMe settings enable you to set the NVMe drives to either RAID mode or Non-RAID mode.
NOTE: To configure these drives as RAID drives, click System BIOS Settings > SATA Settings > Embedded SATA
Option and enable RAID mode. If not, you must set this field to Non-RAID mode.
View NVMe settings
To view the NVMe Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click NVMe Settings.
NVMe Settings details
About this task
The NVMe Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
NVMe Mode Enables you to set the NVMe mode. This option is set to Non RAID by default.
Boot Settings
You can use the Boot Settings screen to set the boot mode to either BIOS or UEFI. It also enables you to specify the boot
order.
● BIOS: The BIOS Boot Mode is the legacy boot mode. It is maintained for backward compatibility.
● UEFI: The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is a new interface between operating systems and platform
firmware. The interface consists of data tables with platform related information, also boot and runtime service calls that are
available to the operating system and its loader. The following benefits are available when the Boot Mode is set to UEFI:
12
Pre-operating system management applications
○ Support for drive partitions larger than 2 TB.
○ Enhanced security (e.g., UEFI Secure Boot).
○ Faster boot time.
NOTE: You must use only the UEFI boot mode in order to boot from NVMe drives.
View Boot Settings
To view the Boot Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE: If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click Boot Settings.
Boot Settings details
About this task
The Boot Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
Boot Mode Allows you to configure the Boot Sequence and Enable or Disable the individual boot options. The
available options are BIOS and UEFI. The option is set to UEFI by default.
Boot Sequence
Retry
Enables or disables the Boot Sequence Retry feature. If the last attempt to boot has failed, the system
immediately performs a cold reset or retries to boot after 30 seconds time-out period base on the setting
of Reset or Enabled. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Hard-Disk
Failover
Specifies the drive that is booted in the event of a drive failure. The devices are selected in the Hard-
Disk Drive Sequence on the Boot Option Setting menu. When this option is set to Disabled, only the
first drive in the list is attempted to boot. When this option is set to Enabled, all drives are attempted to
boot in the order selected in the Hard-Disk Drive Sequence. This option is not enabled for UEFI Boot
Mode. This option is set to Disabled by default.
Generic USB
Boot
Enables or disables the USB boot option. This option is set to Disabled by default.
Hard-disk Drive
Placeholder
Enables or disables the Hard-disk Drive Placeholder option. This option is set to disabled by default.
UEFI Boot Settings
The UEFI Boot Settings screen enables you to specify the UEFI boot order.
About this task
Option
Description
UEFI Boot
Sequence
Enables you to change the UEFI boot device order.
Boot Options
Enable/Disable
Enables you to enable or disable the UEFI boot devices.
Pre-operating system management applications 13
Network Settings
You can use the Network Settings screen to modify UEFI PXE, iSCSI, and HTTP boot settings. The network settings option is
available only in the UEFI mode.
NOTE: The BIOS does not control network settings in the BIOS mode. For the BIOS boot mode, the optional Boot ROM of
the network controllers handles the network settings.
Viewing Network Settings
To view the Network Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Turn on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE: If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click Network Settings.
Network Settings screen details
The Network Settings screen details are explained as follows:
About this task
Option
Description
UEFI PXE
Settings
Enables you to control the configuration of the UEFI PXE device.
PXE Device n (n
= 1 to 4)
Enables or disables the device. When enabled, a UEFI PXE boot option is created for the device.
PXE Device n
Settings(n = 1 to
4)
Enables you to control the configuration of the PXE device.
UEFI HTTP
Settings
Enables or disables the device. When enabled, a UEFI HTTP boot option is created for the device.
HTTP Device n
Settings (n = 1 to
4)
Enables you to control the configuration of the HTTP device.
UEFI iSCSI
Settings
Enables you to control the configuration of the iSCSI device.
Table 1. UEFI iSCSI Settings screen details
Option Description
iSCSI Initiator Name Specifies the name of the iSCSI initiator in IQN
format.
iSCSI Device1 Enables or disables the iSCSI device. When
disabled, a UEFI boot option is created for
the iSCSI device automatically. This is set to
Disabled by default.
14 Pre-operating system management applications
Option Description
Table 1. UEFI iSCSI Settings screen details (continued)
Option Description
iSCSI Device1 Settings Enables you to control the configuration of the
iSCSI device.
TLS
Authentication
Configuration
View and/or modify this device's boot TLS authentication mode. None means the HTTP server and
the client will not authenticate each other for this boot. One way means the HTTP server will be
authenticated by the client, while the client will not be authenticated by the server. This option is set
to None by default.
Integrated Devices
You can use the Integrated Devices screen to view and configure the settings of all integrated devices including the video
controller, integrated RAID controller, and the USB ports.
Viewing Integrated Devices
To view the Integrated Devices screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Power on or restart the system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click Integrated Devices.
Integrated Devices details
About this task
The Integrated Devices screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
User Accessible
USB Ports
Configures the user accessible USB ports. Selecting Only Back Ports On disables the front USB ports;
selecting All Ports Off disables all front and back USB ports; selecting All Ports Off (Dynamic)
disables all front and back USB ports during POST and front ports can be enabled or disabled dynamically
by authorized user without resetting the system.
The USB keyboard and mouse still function in certain USB ports during the boot process, depending on
the selection. After the boot process is complete, the USB ports will be enabled or disabled as per the
setting.
Internal USB Port Enables or disables the internal USB port. This option is set to On by default.
iDRAC Direct
USB Port
The iDRAC Direct USB port is managed by iDRAC exclusively with no host visibility. This option is set to
ON or OFF. When set to OFF, iDRAC does not detect any USB devices installed in this managed port.
This option is set to On by default.
Integrated
Network Card 1
Enables or disables the integrated network card (NDC). When set to Disabled, the NDC is not available
to the operating system (OS). This option is set to Enabled by default.
Pre-operating system management applications 15
Option Description
NOTE: If set to Disabled (OS), the Integrated NICs might still be available for shared network
access by iDRAC.
I/OAT DMA
Engine
Enables or disables the I/O Acceleration Technology (I/OAT) option. I/OAT is a set of DMA features
designed to accelerate network traffic and lower CPU utilization. Enable only if the hardware and
software support the feature.
I/O Snoop
HoldOff
Response
Enables you to select the number of cycles PCI I/O can withhold snoop requests from the CPU to allow
time to complete its own write to LLC. This setting can help improve performance on workloads where
throughput and latency are critical.
Embedded Video
Controller
Enables or disables the use of Embedded Video Controller as the primary display. When set to Enabled,
the Embedded Video Controller will be the primary display even if add-in graphic cards are installed. When
set to Disabled, an add-in graphics card will be used as the primary display. BIOS will output displays
to both the primary add-in video and the embedded video during POST and pre-boot environment. The
embedded video will then be disabled right before the operating system boots. This option is set to
Enabled by default.
NOTE: When there are multiple add-in graphic cards installed in the system, the first card discovered
during PCI enumeration is selected as the primary video. You might have to re-arrange the cards in
the slots in order to control which card is the primary video.
Current State of
Embedded Video
Controller
Displays the current state of the embedded video controller. The Current State of Embedded Video
Controller option is a read-only field. If the Embedded Video Controller is the only display capability in the
system (that is, no add-in graphics card is installed), then the Embedded Video Controller is automatically
used as the primary display even if the Embedded Video Controller setting is set to Disabled.
SR-IOV Global
Enable
Enables or disables the BIOS configuration of Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV) devices. This option
is set to Disabled by default.
OS Watchdog
Timer
If your system stops responding, this watchdog timer aids in the recovery of your operating system.
When this option is set to Enabled, the operating system initializes the timer. When this option is set to
Disabled (the default), the timer does not have any effect on the system.
Empty Slot
Unhide
Enables or disables the root ports of all the empty slots that are accessible to the BIOS and OS. This
option is set to Disabled by default.
Memory Mapped
I/O above 4 GB
Enables or disables the support for the PCIe devices that need large amounts of memory. Enable this
option only for 64-bit operating systems. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Memory Mapped
I/O Base
When set to 12 TB, the system will map MMIO base to 12 TB. Enable this option for an OS that requires
44 bit PCIe addressing.
Slot Disablement
About this task
The Slot Disablement screen details are explained as follows:
Slot Disablement
Enables or disables the available PCIe slots on your system. The slot disablement feature controls the
configuration of the PCIe cards installed in the specified slot. Slots must be disabled only when the
installed peripheral card prevents booting into the operating system or causes delays in system startup. If
the slot is disabled, both the Option ROM and UEFI drivers are disabled. Only slots that are present on the
system will be available for control.
Table 2. Slot Disablement
Slot
number
Description
Slot 1 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 1. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 2 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 2. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
16 Pre-operating system management applications
Table 2. Slot Disablement (continued)
Slot
number
Description
Slot 3 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 3. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 4 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 4. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 5 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 5. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 6 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 6. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 7 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 7. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 8 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 8. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 9 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 9. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 10 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 10. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 11 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 11. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot 12 Enables or disables or only the boot driver is disabled for the PCIe slot 12. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
Slot Bifurcation
About this task
The Slot Bifurcation screen details are explained as follows:
Slot Bifurcation
Allows Platform Default Bifurcation, Auto discovery of Bifurcation and Manual bifurcation
Control. The default is set to Platform Default Bifurcation. The slot bifurcation field is accessible
when set to Manual bifurcation Control and is grayed out when set to Platform Default Bifurcation
or Auto discovery of Bifurcation.
Table 3. Slot Bifurcation
Option x16 PCIe riser 1 and 2 configuration x8 PCIe riser 1 and 2
configuration
Auto Discovery
Bifurcation Settings
Platform Default Bifurcation,
Auto Bifurcation,
Manual bifurcation
Platform Default Bifurcation,
Auto Bifurcation,
Manual bifurcation
Slot 1 Bifurcation NA x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 2 Bifurcation x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or x8, x4,x4
Bifurcation
x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 3 Bifurcation NA x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 4 Bifurcation x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or x8, x4,x4
Bifurcation
x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 5 Bifurcation x4 or x8 Bifurcation x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Pre-operating system management applications 17
Table 3. Slot Bifurcation (continued)
Option x16 PCIe riser 1 and 2 configuration x8 PCIe riser 1 and 2
configuration
Slot 6 Bifurcation x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or x8, x4,x4
Bifurcation
x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or
x8, x4,x4 Bifurcation
Slot 7 Bifurcation x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or x8, x4,x4
Bifurcation
x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or
x8, x4,x4 Bifurcation
Slot 8 Bifurcation NA x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 9 Bifurcation x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or x8, x4,x4
Bifurcation
x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 10 Bifurcation NA x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 11 Bifurcation x4 or x8 or x16, or x4, x4, x8, or x8, x4,x4
Bifurcation
x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Slot 12 Bifurcation x4 or x8 Bifurcation x4 or x8 Bifurcation
Serial Communication
Use the Serial Communication screen to view the properties of the serial communication port.
Viewing Serial Communication
To view the Serial Communication screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Power on or restart the system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click Serial Communication.
Serial Communication details
About this task
The Serial Communication screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
Serial
Communication
Selects serial communication devices (Serial Device 1 and Serial Device 2) in BIOS. BIOS console
redirection can also be enabled, and the port address can be specified. This option is set to Auto by
default.
Enables the COM port or Console Redirection options. This option is set to Off by default.
Serial Port
Address
Enables you to set the port address for serial devices. This field sets the serial port address to either
COM1 or COM2 (COM1=0x3F8, COM2=0x2F8). This option is set to Serial Device 1=COM2, Serial
Device 2=COM1 by default.
18 Pre-operating system management applications
Option Description
NOTE: You can use only Serial Device 2 for the Serial Over LAN (SOL) feature. To use console
redirection by SOL, configure the same port address for console redirection and the serial device.
External Serial
Connector
Enables you to associate the External Serial Connector to Serial Device 1, Serial Device 2, or the
Remote Access Device by using this option. This option is set to Serial Device 1 by default.
NOTE: Only Serial Device 2 can be used for Serial Over LAN (SOL). To use console redirection by
SOL, configure the same port address for console redirection and the serial device.
NOTE: Every time the system boots, the BIOS syncs the serial MUX setting saved in iDRAC. The
serial MUX setting can independently be changed in iDRAC. Loading the BIOS default settings from
within the BIOS setup utility may not always revert this setting to the default setting of Serial Device
1.
Enables you to associate the External Serial Connector to Serial Device 1.
Failsafe Baud
Rate
Specifies the failsafe baud rate for console redirection. The BIOS attempts to determine the baud rate
automatically. This failsafe baud rate is used only if the attempt fails, and the value must not be changed.
This option is set to 115200 by default.
Remote Terminal
Type
Sets the remote console terminal type. This option is set to VT100/VT220 by default.
Redirection After
Boot
Enables or disables the BIOS console redirection when the operating system is loaded. This option is set
to Enabled by default.
System Profile Settings
You can use the System Profile Settings screen to enable specific system performance settings such as power management.
Viewing System Profile Settings
To view the System Profile Settings screen, perform the following steps:
Steps
1. Power on, or restart your system.
2. Press F2 immediately after you see the following message:
F2 = System Setup
NOTE:
If your operating system begins to load before you press F2, wait for the system to finish booting, and then
restart your system and try again.
3. On the System Setup Main Menu screen, click System BIOS.
4. On the System BIOS screen, click System Profile Settings.
System Profile Settings details
About this task
The System Profile Settings screen details are explained as follows:
Option
Description
System Profile Sets the system profile. If you set the System Profile option to a mode other than Custom, the BIOS
automatically sets the rest of the options. You can only change the rest of the options if the mode is
set to Custom. This option is set to Performance Per Watt Optimized (DAPC) by default. DAPC is
Dell Active Power Controller.Other options include Performance Per Watt (OS), Performance, and
Workstation Performance.
Pre-operating system management applications 19
Option Description
NOTE: All the parameters on the system profile setting screen are available only when the System
Profile option is set to Custom.
CPU Power
Management
Sets the CPU power management. This option is set to System DBPM (DAPC) by default. DBPM is
Demand-Based Power Management.
Memory
Frequency
Sets the speed of the system memory. You can select Maximum Performance or a specific speed. This
option is set to Maximum Performance by default.
Turbo Boost Enables or disables the processor to operate in the turbo boost mode. This option is set to Enabled by
default.
C1E Enables or disables the processor to switch to a minimum performance state when it is idle. This option is
set to Enabled by default.
C States Enables or disables the processor to operate in all available power states. This option is set to Enabled by
default.
Write Data CRC Enables or disables the Write Data CRC. This option is set to Disabled by default.
Memory Patrol
Scrub
Sets the memory patrol scrub frequency. This option is set to Standard by default.
Memory Refresh
Rate
Sets the memory refresh rate to either 1x or 2x. This option is set to 1x by default.
Uncore
Frequency
Enables you to select the Processor Uncore Frequency option.
Dynamic mode enables the processor to optimize power resources across the cores and uncore during
runtime. The optimization of the uncore frequency to either save power or optimize performance is
influenced by the setting of the Energy Efficiency Policy option.
Energy Efficient
Policy
Enables you to select the Energy Efficient Policy option.
The CPU uses the setting to manipulate the internal behavior of the processor and determines whether
to target higher performance or better power savings. This option is set to Balanced Performance by
default.
Number of
Turbo Boost
Enabled Cores
for Processor 1
NOTE: If there are four processors installed in the system, you will see an entry for Number of
Turbo Boost Enabled Cores for Processor 4.
Controls the number of turbo boost enabled cores for Processor 1. The maximum number of cores is All by
default.
Monitor/Mwait Enables the Monitor/Mwait instructions in the processor. This option is set to Enabled for all system
profiles, except Custom by default.
NOTE: This option can be disabled only if the C States option in the Custom mode is set to
disabled.
NOTE: When C States is set to Enabled in the Custom mode, changing the Monitor/Mwait setting
does not impact the system power or performance.
CPU
Interconnect Bus
Link Power
Management
Enables or disables the CPU Interconnect Bus Link Power Management. This option is set to Enabled by
default.
PCI ASPM L1
Link Power
Management
Enables or disables the PCI ASPM L1 Link Power Management. This option is set to Enabled by default.
Intel Persistent
Memory CR QoS
Controls the tuning function for Quality of Service (QoS) knobs. Disabled by default. Recipe 1 is
recommended for 2-2-2 memory configurations in App-Direct. Recipe 2 is recommended for other
memory configurations in App-Direct. Recipe 3 is recommended for 1 DIMM per channel configurations.
Intel Persistent
Memory
Controls the thresholds that trigger switching between near (RDIMM/LRDIMM) and far (DCPMM)
memory. BW Optimized, selected by default, optimizes for RDIMM/LRDIMM and DCPMM bandwidth.
20 Pre-operating system management applications
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